JUNE 2020 / | VOL.74 NO.3 | Est. 1953
and Solutions for All ies
WE SERVICE ALL INDUSTRIES AMS have been supplying instrumentation and calibration equipment to all industries, government departments and public utilities. We are proud to have developed these relationships over many years and will continue to do so and building new record is testimony to our commitment to sales and service.
AMS is proud to repesent some of the leading suppliers in the industry and have for many years. AMS supplies a range ofcalibration equipment, flow, pressure, level andtemperature instrumentation. A full range of analysers and ancillary equipment. With branches in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia and servicing all other states and territories AMS can support our whole range as required.
W: ams-ic.com.au
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P: 61-3-9017 8225
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E: sales@ams-ic.com.au
JUNE 2020 | VOL.74 NO.3 | Est. 1953
INSIDE PACE
COVID-19 Response
Lubrication
Actuator Systems
IICA gives its thoughts on the crisis
Water-proof bearings for different conditions
Balancing demand and supply during challenging times
Post Print Approved PP100008186
PIVOTING AND PUSHING FORWARD
PACE COMES WITH MANUFACTURERS’ MONTHLY EVERY EDITION
Low-cost level measurement. Radar sensor for water management. Reliable level measurement in water treatment facilities, pump stations and rain overflow basins. Open channel flow measurement and water level monitoring.
VEGAPULS WL S 61 ▪ Measuring range up to 8 m
▪ Can be used outdoors without restriction ▪ Flood-proof IP 68 housing
▪ Operation via Bluetooth with Smartphone, tablet or PC
Further information: www.vega.com/wls61
Phone 1800 817 135
NEWS
BP Australia study looks to scale up renewable hydrogen for export
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ast week, on behalf of the Australian Government, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) announced $1.71 million in funding to BP Australia to assess the feasibility of building a renewable hydrogen and ammonia production facility in Geraldton, Western Australia. BP will be supported by GHD Advisory to deliver the $4.42 million feasibility study, which will investigate producing renewable hydrogen using electrolysis. Under the study, BP would use grid connected power and procure renewable electricity through a power purchase agreement (PPA). Renewable hydrogen would then be used instead of natural gas to produce renewable ammonia. The study will generate findings
to better understand the technical and financial implications of a fully integrated renewable hydrogen supply chain. Furthermore, it will analyse the economic opportunity presented by renewable hydrogen and determine how it can be scaled-up to satisfy future demand. BP’s concept aims to produce approximately 20,000 tonnes of renewable ammonia from the facility per year for domestic use. It will also pursue export opportunities by leveraging existing trade relationships. BP selected Geraldton as the preferred location for the project due, in part, to its vast solar and wind resources, existing port infrastructure and proximity to large, long-term Asian markets. ARENA CEO Darren Miller
said renewable hydrogen represents a significant future economic opportunity for Australia. “Australia is a key market for BP and other companies to progress their strategic developments for the future renewable hydrogen industry because of our abundant renewable energy resources and established trade partners,” Miller said. “BP believes that ‘green’ hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, will play an increasingly important role, particularly in parts of the world with high renewable energy potential, such as Western Australia,” BP chief operating officer, Asia Pacific, Frédéric Baudry said. BP Australia’s feasibility study is expected to be completed by February 2021. PACE
The study will generate findings to better understand the technical and financial implications of a fully integrated renewable hydrogen supply chain.
ABB integrates drive safety functionality
A The FSPS-21 module is TÜV Nordcertified and is compatible with ABB ACS380 machinery drives, ACS580 general purpose drives and ACS880 industrial drives.
BB is providing integrated safety functionality for its all-compatible variable speed drives (VSDs) to simplify the engineering design process in machine manufacturing and automation. The new plug-in PROFIsafe module (FSPS21) removes the need for external safety components and reduces the need for configuration. Machine builders must ensure applications can be controlled safely and stopped quickly if anything goes wrong. To meet demanding safety requirements, engineers have traditionally designed and installed safety functions using external (hardwired) devices. This usually requires additional installation space as well as being costly and time consuming.
These challenges can now be overcome by using drive-based safety solutions. The new functionality enables safe machine control and seamless safety communications between the drive and the programmable logic controller (PLC) in a wide range of machines from conveyors to grinders. This is enabled through the PROFIsafe over the PROFINET IO communication protocol. “With this new plug-in module, it is possible to provide control, ensure safety and enable PC tool communication to the drive through one Ethernet cable, which simplifies installation and commissioning” said Christopher Probst, Low Voltage Drives Product Manager
for ABB in Australia. “The module simplifies commissioning significantly because it requires no additional safety configuration in the drive and moreover reduces the need for training.” The FSPS-21 module is TÜV Nord-certified and is compatible with ABB ACS380 machinery drives, ACS580 general purpose drives and ACS880 industrial drives. The module offers Safe Torque Off (STO) and Safe Stop 1-time controlled (SS1-t) safety functions. It achieves the highest safety levels in machinery safety: SIL 3 / PL e and is, therefore, suitable for even the most demanding applications. It simplifies the design and verification of the safety solution. PACE JUNE 2020 www.pacetoday.com.au 5
NEWS
Redundant engineer produces face shields for essential workers
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n automotive engineer who was made redundant a few years ago has turned to making personal protective equipment (PPE) for Australia’s essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis. Mat Bowtell, who owns 20 3D printers at his Phillip Island facility, chose to use his payout and crowdfunding to obtain equipment and software to create prosthetic hands at no cost to their recipients. He has raised $33,482 in community funding to produce up to 4000 PPE face shields for
essential workers. Bowtell said it is not about making a profit or being a hero, but the can-do attitude common to all engineers, and using his skills for what society needs. “It’s about survival at the moment,” he said. “Just helping people to get through this together.” Only one Australian factory produced surgical masks and there was only one significant producer of ventilators prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Engineers Australia. “As the government funding is
limited to supporting Victorian Public Health and associated services, we are now able to continue to broaden our scope for supplying not only locally, but all around Australia,” Bowtell said. Fourteen of his 3D printers are producing the face shields that will go to health workers and other essential service workers in private nursing homes, allied health clinics, veterinary clinics, supermarkets, petrol stations, kindergartens and schools. “With 3D printing, we’ve been able to go from making hands to making face shields in a matter of, well, days,” Bowtell told The Guardian. PACE
Beamex MC6-Ex
New intrinsically safe field calibrator and communicator!
“To completely revamp our line, that’s how agile this technology is, and how flexible it is. It’s mind-blowing.”. PACE
This PPE will be for Australia’s essential workers during the COVID-19 crisis, according to the engineer.
AMS AMS INSTRUMENTATION & CALIBRATION PTY LTD Unit 20, 51 Kalman drive Boronia VIC 3155 AUSTRALIA Phone: +61-3-9017 8225 Fax: +61-3-9729 9604 E-mail: sales@ams-ic.com.au Internet: www.ams-ic.com.au
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ATEX and IECEx approved for all hazardous zones Very accurate calibrator delivered with traceable, accredited calibration certificate Enables a fully paperless and automated calibration process Integrated field communicator for HART, FOUNDATION Fieldbus and Profibus protocols Multifunctional process calibrator for pressure, temperature and electrical signals
6 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE 2020
www.beamex.com info@beamex.com
NEWS
Helping to put you in Control
PR200 programmable relay 230VAC
A programmable logic relay with 8DI + 8DO + 4AI + 2AO (4-20 mA), LCD, 2x RS485 (Modbus RTU/ ASCII) ports and 230VAC powered. Free easy to use Function-Block Software.
Bosch boosts investment in AgTech company
SKU: AKC-002 Price: $399.95 ea + GST
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SPT-61 Transmitter PT100/500/1000
he Bosch Group has increased its investment in The Yield Technology Solutions, an Australian Internet of Things AgTech business. As the major shareholder, the increase takes the Bosch Group investment to a total of $13.3 million. The Yield is transforming farming practices for irrigation intensive crops with scalable digital technology solutions. The company is developing its proprietary digital application to support critical production decisions for large commercial growers in the specialty crops industry. In addition to its investment, Bosch is the technology partner responsible for the development and manufacture of the connectivity
hardware for The Yield’s proprietary solution, Sensing+. The Yield announced that it had finalised investment of $11 million, led by venture capital group, Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley and with further investment by Bosch. “Bosch’s further investment in The Yield reflects our confidence that they have something quite unique, and are now gaining serious traction with corporate customers,” said Gavin Smith, president of Bosch Oceania. “We are very pleased that Yamaha Motor Ventures recognise this too and have joined us on the share register of The Yield,” said Smith. Ros Harvey, founder and managing director of The Yield
said she was “delighted with the investment and the tremendous support from these well-known, global technology organisations”. “This is recognition of our efforts in delivering a world-class solution in weather and yield predictions for our customers,” said Harvey. The Yield’s Sensing+ combines sensors and analytics to provide information and predictions in easy-to-use apps that help large commercial growers make important on-farm decisions like when to irrigate, feed, plant, protect and harvest. “There is no doubt, Agriculture 4.0 is coming of age, and Australia is poised to play a leading role thanks to companies like The Yield,” said Smith. PACE
SLI-8 8 Counter Modbus RTU module An 8 isolated digital input module with Modbus RS485 communications. Provides a non volatile 32 bit counter for each input. 24VDC powered.
SKU: SID-003 Price: $239.95 ea + GST
The SPT-61 signal converter is equipped with Pt 100 / Pt 500 / Pt 1000 type input, 4-20mA output. Loop powered.
SKU: SIB-001 Price: $134.95 ea + GST
BACnet MSTP Slave/Modbus Master-Converter
The HD67671-MSTP-4-A1 BACnet Slave / Modbus Master Converter allows you to integrate a BACnet network with a Modbus net. It allows you to connect a BACnet Master (for example a Supervisory System...) with some Modbus slaves.
SKU: ADW-001 Price: $586.805 ea + GST
AirGate Modbus (Gateway RS-485/ Wireless) Wireless gateway for extending Modbus networks. USB and RS485 interfaces.
SKU: NOW-001 Price: $473.50 ea + GST
1-port isolated RS-422/485 Modbus Gateway
Modbus TCP to Modbus ASCII/RTU converter gateway allows Modbus TCP masters to communicate with serial Modbus slave devices via isolated RS-422/485 interfaces with TB5 screw terminals.
SKU: ATO-162 Price: $330.00 ea + GST
Loop Powered 4-20mA Surface Temperature Sensor
This is a simple 4-20mA output loop powered temperature sensor with measurement range from 0°C to +100°C designed for monitoring battery, heatsink and surface temperatures.
SKU: KPS-015 Price: $83.00 ea + GST
Bosch is the technology partner responsible for The Yield’s proprietary solution, Sensing+.
For Wholesale prices Contact Ocean Controls Ph: (03) 9708 2390 oceancontrols.com.au Prices are subjected to change without notice.
COVID-19: THE INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE
Less imports lead to boom in essential services During the COVID-19 pandemic, many manufacturers must keep running to provide essential services. The Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation’s Peter Veron shares his observations with PACE on how the process engineering market has been operating.
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s countries continue to reduce exports during the COVID-19 shutdown, Australian-based businesses have been given opportunities to manufacture locally. The Institute of Instrumentation, Control and Automation (IICA) has seen growth in the production of essential products such as food, pharmaceuticals and services such as electricity. Chairperson of the IICA’s Sydney branch, Peter Veron, said domestic manufacturers are currently experiencing opportunities that would have previously been outsourced in favour of cheap labour overseas. “Other countries are now retaining their production for local requirements, so that leads to the short supply in Australia, which in a way, is positive for local manufacturers,” he said. “I think because COVID-19 is a global problem, every country is trying to protect their own people, so they’ve closed their borders to exporting some essential products needed to fight the virus and basic essential staples.” Veron said process engineers are managing supply chains well during uncertain times, and there has been a “net positive effect” in the supply and demand equation across most of the industry. “In our industry, there are a few sections that are actually booming at the moment,” he said. “There are certain pockets of our industry that are perceived as essential services or supplying essential basic materials for food products, and within the health sector and they are pumping.” Veron said there is still a high demand for instrumentation 8 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE 2020
life span of the instruments helping to reduce maintenance costs. “Many of the new process control instruments perform self-diagnostics, so you can actually predict how long the instruments are going to perform accurately on-site without actually having to be on-site,” Veron said.
Support for member organisations
Peter Veron, IICA Sydney chair. from manufacturers, as many manufacturing plants have increased their capacity. “From our point of view, there has not really been a slowdown since the start of this year because of COVID19,” Veron said. “It has just changed the focus into some niche industries.” Veron believes Australians have realised the importance of domestic production instead of relying on lower production costs from imports, at the expense of supply security and quality control. “We need to be independent again and support local production, and not rely so heavily on the cost
of the product and rely more on the supply security of the product that we get,” he said. “The independence and security of our country has sort of been exposed, because we rely so heavily on imported products and foodstuffs.” Many instrumentation companies have been developing their technology with their sensors and the advances have led to improved production yields and lower operational costs. With remote monitoring and smart devices, there is better visibility of process parameters and reports can be generated through the internet about device health. These include expected
Companies such as WIKA Australia, VEGA and Endress+Hauser are seen as providers of essential services, which supply instrumentation to manufacturing plants during the COVID-19 crisis. “We’re still trading. Most of the instrumentation companies have gone onto a two-shift or a skeleton staff, so we don’t overlap, and if COVID comes into one of our facilities, it will not spread to all staff,” Veron said. The IICA is about networking, connecting and educating people by putting industry together with suppliers of technology to assess quality and improve processes. “At the moment, because there’s an isolation across the country, it’s very hard for us to integrate anything,” he said. IICA is currently providing resources for members through online activities through their website. Its main events are the technology expos, where the IICA showcases the latest products to the industry, which it is hoping to restart in 2021. All association activities and courses have been postponed due to social distancing measures.
Oil and gas industries
Over the last 10 years, there has been a decline in oil and fuel
COVID-19: THE INDUSTRY’S RESPONSE
production locally, so it is important that Australia produces its own downstream products or takes measures to secure supply of these essential services and products. Veron said most of Australia’s refineries have been scaled back or closed, and the country tends to import the majority of its finished oil products from Singapore. To add to the issue, Australia does not have its own reserves. “We no longer have the ability to manufacture locally,” he said. “If something disrupts our supply lines, we would be stuck without diesel fuel to transport products around the country. I think the government has identified that this could be a potential problem, and they have now invested in more fuel reserves. The government noticed our vulnerability to overseas reliance and took measures to acquire reserves of fuel oils, however our capacity to store these locally is limited and these will be stored in America!” Projekt3 07.03.19 11:50 Seite 1
The other issue is that Australia does not possess the capacity to store these reserves locally. Hence, they are stored in the US. Older fuel sites like the BP site at Clyde are currently undergoing decontamination and remediation in preparation for requirements to support future residential growth. “(The government) is trying to clean industry out of the Rose Hill precinct, and they don’t want to use it to store petroleum,” Veron said. “Even though they were identifying a problem on one side, they are not really putting a solution forward that is practical or sustainable. “We bought the fuel, and it is stored in America, so if there is a transportation issue, we still can’t get our hands on it.” The IICA fully supports local manufactured products and the time has come to consider Australian Made to guarantee our future supply chain security. PACE
There is still a high demand for instrumentation from manufacturers, as many manufacturing plants have increased their capacity.
JUNE 2020 www.pacetoday.com.au 9
LUBRICATION
Bearing the contamination of foul water NSK triple sealed bearings have several advantages over a standard bearing that translate to extended bearing life.
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he challenge for any water and wastewater operation is in keeping the equipment running efficiently in spite of the harsh conditions and contamination it is exposed to. Foul water contamination in particular will affect the life of essential components such
KEY FEATURES OF NSK TRIPLE LIP SEALED BEARINGS • Better waterproofing ensures longer life – these bearings feature a secure bearing seal with three lips. That’s three layers of protection against foul water. • Reduced maintenance costs – longer bearing life, means extended maintenance intervals. • Reduced equipment costs – by replacing conventional bearings, the overall total cost is reduced as the machinery performs better and the components don’t need to be replaced frequently. • Secure balled setscrew – provides much greater resistance against loosening due to vibration or impact. • Interchangeability – conforms to the Japanese Industrial Standard for UC-type bearings, serving as a ready replacement to existing bearing units. This NSK bearing is not only ready to use as a relubricable bearing, but can replace conventional bearing units of NSK as well as the bearings of other manufacturers. 10 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE 2020
as bearings in rotating machinery. This is why a triple-sealed bearing is often recommended for applications in the water treatment sector. “Simply put: If you’ve got bearings that are subject to ingress by water, they are in danger of failing,”, BSC’s product manager of Industrial Bearings Tony Tormey said. “This is why a triple lip sealed bearing, such as that manufactured by NSK, is ideal for these kinds of applications. The triple seal will increase the service life of the bearing dramatically in these situations.” Dave Healey, who is the sales engineer for NSK, concurs. “Stopping water ingress into the rolling elements is extremely important for the longevity of the bearing life. It only takes a small amount of water or moisture to exact damage to the grease and bearing surfaces,” he explains. “Moreover, when grease is contaminated with water, the lubrication can soften and leak out. It also causes corrosion in the bearing raceways.” The NSK triple sealed bearings have several advantages over a standard bearing that translate to extended bearing life. Their optimal design – which is specialised through hardened steel – ensures longevity, as do unique features such as the steel-balled setscrew. “The steel-ball setscrew is a built-in feature that prevents loosening, even if the bearing is subjected to intense vibrations under heavy loads,” says Healey. “Our galvanised steel plate on the three seals also contributes to enhanced pressure resistance and corrosion resistance.” To illustrate his point, Healey referred to research testing that NSK carried out with their triple sealed bearing and three other equivalent
When grease is contaminated with water, the lubrication can soften and leak out.
“We maintain a great working relationship that brings a lot of benefit to the customer. BSC see us as a ‘localised’ company. Our stock is based here and available, it doesn’t come via a third party warehouse or overseas. Importantly – and this is a critical difference to what BSC provide to customers – is that we give them full access. In other words, our stock is their stock.” bearings of different manufacture. This involved 200 cubic centimetres of muddy water being poured in a cylindrical housing where the bearing being tested was installed. The bearing and propeller in front of the bearing were rotated at 500 rpm by a drive belt with a vibration of 0.6G applied to the housing. This ‘Muddy Water Resistance Test’ found that the life of the NSK triple sealed bearing was at least twice that of any other bearing in the test group1. Tormey reiterated the impressive performance of NSK bearings, saying that their triple lip seal bearings had a
prolonged service life of at least “60% more than comparable bearings.” However, Tormey notes that this is dependent on how maintenance is performed. “Maintenance procedures will absolutely affect the bearing life. This starts with how the bearings have been installed and then how they are greased.” In terms of ensuring that the NSK bearings are the right fit for the job, and that the correct maintenance procedures are in place, Tormey says the relationship that BSC has with the customer as well as with NSK is critical.
LUBRICATION
“We can provide them with the right advice as well as the services to ensure they’re properly set up to work at their optimum,” Tormey explains. Healey also highlights the importance of the relationship between NSK and BSC. “We maintain a great working relationship that brings a lot of benefit to the customer. BSC see us as a ‘localised’ company. Our stock is based here and available, it doesn’t come via a third party warehouse or overseas. Importantly – and this is a critical difference to what BSC provide to customers – is that we give them full access. In other words, our stock is their stock,” explains Healey. “We often work with BSC jointly to provide services and onsite visits with customers. Along with their BSC’s engineering staff, we’re available 24/7.” Tormey echoes these points, noting that the BSC account
managers are in touch with NSK on a weekly basis. “We share a great relationship, with engineers from both companies working jointly to deliver the best solutions to our customers,” says Tormey. In terms of water and wastewater applications, Tormey further emphasises BSC’s access to stock, around the clock availability and branch presence as peerless benefits to customers. “Having the expertise to perform installations – especially in hard to install rotating equipment that is inherent to the water and wastewater segment – is very important,” he says. “This will ensure that a customer gets the best performance. With the NSK triple lip seal bearing, they’re going to get a better service life, but with the right installation and best maintenance practice, they can achieve a performance that is more than double that of the longevity of similar bearings.” PACE
NSK and BSC’s great working relationship has brought a lot of benefits for customers.
Full range of cables & accessories from stock
Treotham Automation supply an extensive range of high quality electrical flexible cables and accessories from Lapp. The range is available from stock in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Perth. With a full range of industrial products, our technical engineers are able to provide fast and reliable service and custom-built solutions for special applications.
Australian owned & managed
www.treotham.com.au
info@treotham.com.au
1300 65 75 64 JUNE 2020 www.pacetoday.com.au 11
SENSORS
Radar – The better ultrasonic VEGA adds to its portfolio of level sensors with a new non-contact radar instrument series for standard measuring tasks and price-sensitive applications.
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new era in radar level measurement began a few years ago when VEGAPULS sensors based on 80 GHz technology were introduced. Thanks to the more precise focusing of the radar beam, the sensor virtually eliminates any unwanted or interfering reflections – the level measurement therefore becomes much easier and more reliable. Many difficult measuring tasks for ultrasonic sensors are now becoming standard practice with radar technology. VEGA has now added a new compact 80 GHz instrument series to its portfolio of radar sensors. It is especially suitable for price-sensitive applications, such as those found in the water/wastewater industry or in auxiliary process loops in process automation. VEGA designed a new radar microchip especially for this purpose, which is characterised by its extremely small size, fast start up time and low energy consumption. The end result is a particularly compact and versatile radar sensor.
Robust, unaffected and weatherproof
The new VEGAPULS instruments are ideal for both liquids and bulk solids. They are available both as compact version with cable connection housing and as a standard version with a fixed IP68 cable connection. The radar sensors maintain steady, accurate measurements without effect or loss of echo from external influences such as solar gain, air temperature fluctuations, weather conditions vapours, buildup or condensation. Users can choose from 4 to 20 mA, HART, SDI-12 or Modbus as the direct output signal, IEC Ex versions are also available. The VEGAPULS instrument series are compact devices, but they are complemented by the optional VEGAMET controllers. These feature a large graphic display that can be used 12 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE 2020
The VEGAPULS series offers many advantages over current ultrasonic level measurement technologies.
to visualise all measured values. They have also been particularly designed to meet the special requirements of the water/wastewater industry. VEGAMET controllers allow simple implementation of pump control, flow measurement in open channels and overfill protection according to WHG. These are designed for operation in outdoor environments and, are supplied in a weather-resistant housing.
Simple setup thanks to wireless operation
Both the sensors and the controllers can be operated easily via Bluetooth with a smartphone or tablet. This makes setup, display and diagnostics considerably easier, especially in harsh environments or in hazardous areas. The new VEGAPULS radar instrument series offers many advantages over current ultrasonic level measurement technologies. Thanks to their better all-conditions reliability, ruggedness, simple operation and, last but not least, low price it’s the obvious choice for the
“The new VEGAPULS instrument series is available both as compact version with cable connection housing (left in the photo) and as standard version with fixed cable connection (IP68). The new series is complemented by the VEGAMET controller (right in the photo), which can also be used to visualise all measured values.” modern simple industry applications. The new VEGAPULS instrument series is available both as compact version with cable connection housing (left in the photo) and as standard version with fixed cable connection (IP68). The new series is complemented by the VEGAMET controller (right in the photo), which can also be used to visualise all measured values. VEGA was formed in Germany in 1959 and has been located in Australia since 1987. With more
than 60 years’ experience and 33 years supplying to the Australian market, the company is well known for its agile approach to product development in the markets that it has traditionally supplied to. As a long-standing supplier of process measurement technology to the process industry – including mining, water, grain, oil and gas – VEGA Australia has the technical expertise and capabilities to supply its sensors to the automation and manufacturing markets. PACE
COMPONENTS
Finding positivity and connection during COVID-19 PACE speaks to Treotham Automation managing director Mikael Paltoft about how the company is overcoming challenges to their supply chain during the pandemic.
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reotham Automation managing director Mikael Paltoft counts his company as lucky during the COVID-19 pandemic. The disruption in air freight and delivery costs, which according to Paltoft, have been raised by nearly 600 per cent, has not stopped the company from moving its operations forward. It is business as usual for Paltoft, whose phone starts ringing at 8am in the morning. He said his staff had adapted very well to new ways of work. “We went very quickly to working from home, even if we couldn’t go out and see customers like we normally do,” Paltoft said. Salespeople at the company’s offices across Australia in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth have continued to communicate with customers and provide client support. In terms of supply and demand trends, Treotham is seeing similar figures for April compared to the same time last year, but expects a slowdown in the coming months. “We are right on budget, so that was 10 per cent up from last year,” Paltoft said. “The main slowdown is because it’s very difficult to get goods in. That’s the biggest roadblock for the moment to get goods in from Europe.” In the meantime, the company has turned to sea freight to order new stock. While the company’s office and warehouse in New Zealand were completely shut down, there is still good business in Australia during the downturn. “We have ordered in extra stock by sea freight from our key suppliers to be able to supply our key customers, and make sure we have sufficient stock if a problem to source products arises,” Paltoft said. “We especially
Treotham Automation managing director Mikael Paltoft. need to be able to supply our ongoing projects, such as in telecom, railway and infrastructure.” Paltoft said he was happy with how the government has managed to keep
the number of coronavirus cases down amid the uncertainty. Treotham is still working with manufacturers on-site to solve problems, while applying social distancing measures. Australian customers can arrange virtual product or engineering meetings with the company. One of the company’s biggest suppliers for 30 years, igus has continued business with meetings on Microsoft Teams to showcase products. Paltoft said working with igus as a long-time business partner is very useful when it comes to observing business during the pandemic. “It’s interesting to see how we can utilise igus in Germany,” he said. “They’re very much at the forefront when it comes to how they work in this COVID-19 environment.”
igus recently built up a virtual technical engineering machine exhibition, where every customer can still walk into the stand, and salespeople showcase products. “Because the Hannover Fair Exhibition was cancelled, they decided to still go ahead with the show, but they did it in-house,” Paltoft said. “They invited every customer to come have a look even, but through goggles.” Although order intake slowed down “a lot” at the start of the pandemic due to uncertainty, Paltoft said weekly online meetings are helping staff stay connected and bring production back to normal. “The positive thing is we have much better contact with the branches now because we’re using Microsoft Teams,” he said. “We’ve been pretty lucky at Treotham.” PACE
The Hannover Fair Exhibition in Germany had been transformed into an in-house show this year. JUNE 2020 www.pacetoday.com.au 13
ACTUATOR SYSTEMS
Powering ahead to serve health care in challenging times LINAK Australia managing director Patrick Ramsden speaks with PACE about how the company continues to meet high demands for medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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INAK Australia employees have been working round the clock to meet the sudden high demands for medical facilities during COVID-19. The company’s health care division, which is responsible for the providing electrification to hospital beds and medical equipment, has been a key part of the business for nearly 50 years. LINAK Australia managing director, Patrick Ramsden, said increasing demands across the business has resulted in the need to keep functioning at a high capacity. “Business is good in the sense that we are very diverse,” he said. “Our industrial customers are still very busy looking at new technologies and new ideas. “Our desk business – where we supply manufacturers of commercial office furniture – are actually still producing.” A key supplier to most of the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in the health industry, LINAK is working with sub suppliers to meet the requests of health care manufacturers. “We’ve not only been maintaining our production, we’ve actually increased our production hugely,” Ramsden said. “We’ve gone from five or six days to seven days virtually 24 hours a day to keep up with production.” “We actually won a lot of new business recently with customers we didn’t even know about, and we haven’t even visited them face to face,” he said. “It’s proving quite a demanding and busy time for us.” The advantage of having a big team in Australia means LINAK is able to provide more customer
14 www.pacetoday.com.au JUNE 2020
support during COVID-19. “Some of the customers, especially in our industrial sites, actually have a bit more time on their hands that they wouldn’t have had before,” Ramsden said. “They’re more than happy to have that discussion and work technically through solutions with some of our engineers. When we realised the extent and the enormity of what COVID-19 was about and what we needed to do, we quickly made sure that we follow the guidelines from the government and social distancing and hygiene activities,” Ramsden said. “We quickly realised more and more people in the office could work remotely. Our systems and our technology here allowed us to do that very easily.” Ramsden said the company had put a big focus on implementing measures for preventing software attacks at the beginning of this crisis. “We hadn’t envisaged something like this pandemic,” he said. “It put us into a lot of turmoil at the beginning.” The company has continued to operate using online platforms such as Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams. “We realised very early that we’re going to have to be very clear and focused and put more of our efforts into supporting people,” he said. “What we didn’t really envisage was the tsunami of business.” However, the priority for Ramsden has been the safety of staff and their families, and customers. Ramsden said any company that operates and functions on both longand short-term forecasts will struggle with fast-tracking six months’ worth of business into a month.
LINAK Australia has continued to operate using online platforms such as Skype for Business and Microsoft Teams. Working in close collaboration with factories and production facilities, Ramsden said managing business is about keeping control of the situation with ongoing communication. Although LINAK does not manufacture in Australia and New Zealand, he said the demands are the same. The Australian arm of the business provides engineering, technical support, presales and aftersales for customers. “The disruption in production is really around the huge demands in a very short space of time,” he said. “You can’t suddenly turn the tap on and expect to get thousands of
products coming through the door, when normally, it might be hundreds of products.” Ramsden said the company culture of being open and honest means keeping up communication and trying their best to keep customer promises. “We’re hopeful we will come out of this pretty well in the sense that we will keep focused on our business and our core values,” he said. “Even then, it puts huge demands on suppliers to LINAK, coordinating that and getting it all streamlined has put huge demands on our production facilities. Hopefully, we haven’t disappointed too many people.” PACE
NEW PRODUCTS
Starter kit 4-port IO-Link master with IoT core and MQTT interface The robust components IO-Link temperature sensor, plug-in power supply with interchangeable adapter, Ethernet and sensor cable ensure fast and user-friendly connection of the automation technology to the IT world. - 4-port IO-Link master with IoT core and MQTT interface - Start-up package for IoT applications for download - IO-Link parameter setting software “LR DEVICE” on USB stick - I ncluding IO-Link temperature sensor, plug-in power supply with interchangeable adapter, Ethernet and sensor cable. Starter kit IO-Link master With this starter kit you can immediately try out the IoT core interface of the IO-Link master on your desk.Connect the IO-Link temperature sensor to the IO-Link master and transmit the value of the sensor to different IoT software environments via TCP/IP JSON or MQTT. This is how you easily connect robust components from automation technology to the IT world. Start-up package for IoT applications for download In this IoT start-up package, you will find practical examples on how to simply read and process temperature values with an internet browser, Excel, Postman or NodeRed. Advantages and customer benefits IoT core interface for the IT world The IoT core allows access to all data ranges of the IO-Link master and sensors. Established HTTP calls and JSON commands allow reading or writing of information. Connection to the IT world is made via the IoT core interface. In addition, ifm offers further IO-Link masters with different fieldbus interfaces for the automation level. Display measured values in the internet browser or in Excel The quickest and simplest HTTP call can be made using an internet browser
or Excel. The start-up package contains a small example of how you can display the temperature value in every internet browser. You can also record temperature values in Excel for subsequent analysis and optimisation of your installation. Sensor configuration with LR DEVICE The intuitive software finds all IO-Link masters in the network and creates an overview of the whole plant. In addition, all sensors connected are indicated with the respective parameters. This means that parameter setting of all sensors in the system is possible from one central point. Easy sensor connection The sensors and actuators are connected via standard M12 connection cables without screening. Up to 4 IO-Link sensors can be connected and supplied with a total of up to 3.6A. The cable can be up to 20m long. Secure digital data The sensor data is transferred digitally. Unlike analogue signals, contact resistance and EMC interference cannot corrupt the signals. ifm efector Phone: 1300 365 088 Web: www.ifm.com/au/en
Katronic adapt dual-channel flowmeters to make the best of the worst flow conditions The new valve island field module Type 8653 AirLINE Field makes an important contribution to decentralised automation, without the requirement of a control cabinet. The advantages: •S horter distances than with a central solution save energy and operating costs •C ompact solution with a control cabinet or stand-alone field module •F ast and simple integration due to compatibility with all common communication standards •T he components are robust and safe to clean and therefore ideal for use in cleaning applications Guarantee process reliability and product quality Is fast switching the most important thing for you? The innovative Bürkert valve islands AirLINE Field can be installed directly next to the process. Due to the smaller pneumatic distances, your valves switch faster and you also save on compressed air and energy. The benefits of distributed automation 1. H ighest level of reliability for all plant processes With Bürkert valve islands you always have a clear overview of the device status – for fast monitoring and diagnostics. Thanks to the redundant ring topology and protocols, your processes always run reliably, and you avoid unwanted valve switching. 2. E xtensive flexibility for your plant Bürkert valve islands can be installed directly in the field since they adapt to various set-ups. Needless to say, they support all important fieldbus protocols and can be connected to the Bürkert device platform EDP. 3. S imple start-up and fast maintenance The valve islands can be installed quickly and flexibly on the wall or on a standard rail. With a visual position indicator and a robust manual override, they are easy to operate and maintain: Rely on preventive and wearoptimised maintenance. 4. Well protected against corrosion and unauthorised access
Bürkert device solutions are compact and available as a control cabinet or a stand-alone field module. The components are robust, easy to clean and yet protected against unauthorised access. The valve islands AirLINE allow valves to switch faster All Bürkert valve islands and pneumatic field modules are ideally matched and communicate reliably with each other. Due to this intrinsic compatibility, the amount of engineering effort needed for planning, installation and operation remains low. 1. A irLINE Field can be connected to other higher-level controllers (PLCs) via the fieldbus gateway Type ME43 (stand-alone). 2. A irLINE Field can be connected to other higher-level controllers (PLCs) via the valve island Type 8652. Fast start-up, comprehensively documented Fast response and delivery times, support and assembly services ensure efficient installation. The plug-and-play solutions can be configured quickly and easily, they are fully inspected and documented and thus allow for immediate start-up. Bürkert Phone: 03 9017 8225 Web: www.burkert.com.au
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